A Passion for Learning… and Sports

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Did you know many teachers in our school play sports? Mr. Menegoni has played basketball since he was three years old and continues to coach his kids’ teams, just like his father. He is no longer able to play basketball but enjoys running to clear his mind and stay healthy.

You may know Mr. Hayden as your math teacher or you may know him as your lacrosse coach. But you might not know him as for staying healthy with sports. His intelligence as a coach comes from his personal play, Mr. Hayden played lacrosse in highschool and college and still continues to.

Mr. Maher played tennis in college but is now a quad sport athlete currently participating in golf, tennis, basketball, and running. Mr. Maher participates in a men’s basketball league, playing with many HWRHS parents and Mr. Hickey. In a fun game against rival English and math teachers, Mr. Hickey’s team came out victorious, winning by ten points, but Mr. Maher made an amazing reverse layup to help his team’s cause.

Mr. Veling ran track in high school and has continued running throughout his life; however, he included obstacle running in his adulthood for the excitement and challenge. If you can picture the show American Ninja Warrior combined with boot camp, and throw in some more running for fun, you have obstacle running.

Ms. Howland and Ms. Losee play on the same softball league in the summer to stay healthy and have fun!

Ms. Giampaolo was the volleyball captain at her high school but has always carried her passion for cycling since she was able to bike by herself. She hopes to continue this with her husband and eventually be able to participate in a road race in Italy.

Ms. Sano and Ms. Stephens both enjoy running and skiing because they love the feeling of being outdoors.

Mr. Kerans played football and basketball in high school but now enjoys running and even participated in the Boston Marathon years ago.

Mr. Fitzgibbons has been playing hockey all his life, literally! Since his mother was a figure skater, skating came as naturally as walking. Mr. Fitzgibbon continues to play once a week now, while refereeing a minimum of three times a week.

Many people can remember playing a sport as a child, when teams were decided by the color you were wearing and numbers were picked by how old you were at the time. Were you the distracted flower picker or the sugar high kid that never stopped running? These little league games were to have fun, to make friends, and to give your parents a break from your seemingly endless energy. As you grew older you may have continued the sports your parents originally signed you up for; but now that you are old enough to decide what you want to do, why do you still play them?

That’s the question I wanted to answer, so I surveyed and interviewed teachers across our school and received the unanimous answer of love and health. The sports range from individual obstacle course running to basketball, with almost everything in between. The differences between those sports may be large, but the passion each teacher holds for their sport is equal.

Just like student-athletes find the balance of a healthy mental and physical life, so do teachers! Sports create opportunities to reduce stress and create a new social environment, throughout your entire life. As proved by the active teachers in our school, the love for a sport trumps the busy lives we have. The life long commitment to their sport makes them professionals in my eyes.